Ch.14Half-Dragon

# 14. Half-Dragon

[First Trial]

[Choose your Trial Oath]

[1. All stats -3]

[2. Immediately consume 50% of total mana]

[3. HP regeneration and healing effects -50%]

[4. All skill ranks -1]

[If you do not choose, one will be randomly selected.]

“Evande.”

“This game is trash…”

It’s a miracle I didn’t let loose a string of curses. How does it make sense to throw out high-level penalties right from the first trial?

“Options 1 and 4 are absolutely out of the question.”

“Agreed.”

Level 1 base stats are 10. Even with bonus stats, we have fewer than 10 points to spare. Taking 3 points away would be an absurd weakening of our power.

Option 4 was even worse. In Edengard, I had only “vaguely” grasped basic swordsmanship and command skills, while Cutjukyeora had vaguely grasped basic swordsmanship, basic shield techniques, and basic holy magic.

If we converted that proficiency into numbers, it would be between 0 and 2.

Reducing skill ranks by 1 from there would be an unreasonable outrage.

“I think option 2 is the least bad choice.”

“I agree.”

“Tsk.”

Since our current skills were nothing special anyway, losing mana would be the lesser evil. Relatively speaking.

‘We can each handle our own stat distribution anyway.’

After a brief discussion, we selected option 2.

[50% of your total mana is immediately consumed.]

[The first trial begins.]

Like someone with a grim face had snapped their fingers, half of my mana simply vanished. I barely managed to maintain my balance as my body staggered from the sudden feeling of emptiness, and I readjusted my grip on my sword.

‘What type of trial will it be? Trap? Command? Musou? Defense?’

If possible, I’d prefer not to get a trap or musou type. Please.

[First Trial – The Gods Still Exist]

“Ah.”

[Safely escort the young king to the designated location.]

Musou + escort + breakthrough.

This is that one.

A homage to Zhao Yun and Liu Adu.

One of the “TOP 5 Most F***ing Difficult Quests” from the community guides.

Just as I was about to say something to Cutjukyeora, my vision went dark, and when I blinked, I found myself in the middle of a battlefield.

“Father! Mother! Where are you?! Father! Mother—!”

“Your Highness!”

“Waaaaaah! Father!!! Motherrrr!!!”

My mouth moved on its own and my head bowed automatically. The sounds of clashing swords and spears filled the air around us. In front of me was a child who couldn’t be more than 10 years old, wailing and throwing a tantrum while crying for his parents. The me who was me but not me wanted nothing more than to cover that mouth, but my hands merely twitched as if I couldn’t do so, and Cutjukyeora behind the child seemed to be in the same predicament.

‘Please shut up! We’ll all die at this rate!’

At that moment, control was handed over to me. Without hesitation, I covered the child’s mouth and crouched down low. Startled by the sudden rough handling, the child’s eyes widened in shock. In a real situation, I might have felt a surge of sympathy, but not now. Sorry, but that wasn’t my concern.

“This humble servant will protect you, so please, just stay quiet for a moment, Your Highness.”

“Mmmmph.”

“Drawing the enemy’s attention will do us no good. I will accept punishment for this rudeness later, but if you understand my words, please just nod.”

Perhaps because I was merging with the character, the extremely formal speech patterns I’d never used before came out naturally. The child (prince) seemed to have regained some of his senses and nodded instead of continuing his tantrum.

‘He’s probably just scared.’

I had barely played this mission before. I didn’t particularly enjoy the Knight’s Trials to begin with. It was a tedious chore-like content with C-tier rewards that I wouldn’t have bothered with if the rewards were any worse, so my knowledge and memories of it were lacking compared to other content.

But who was I?

‘An S-rank achiever in the Room of Beginning!’

Even though talking big in a completely safe situation was different from physically breaking through enemy lines, I wrapped my internal anxiety in the confidence of having achieved an S-rank.

“Your Highness’s royal person will be temporarily entrusted to Sir Seyeon. Your Highness, you must endure firmly.”

“U-um!”

“Sir Seyeon, I entrust His Highness to you.”

The minimal courtesy period—when players aren’t directly attacked right after the trial begins—was coming to an end. Almost all the royal guards fighting to protect the prince around us had fallen. During that brief time, I thought quickly and determined that Cutjukyeora, not I, should carry the prince.

First, our breakthrough abilities were roughly equal, and since we were both low-level with nothing special, I with my extra stat points could exert more absolute power. Most importantly, Cutjukyeora could extend the prince’s lifeline even slightly with his shield and holy magic.

“Yes, Captain.”

“W-whoa!”

And it seemed I wasn’t the only one who thought so. As soon as I gave the order, Cutjukyeora naturally took the prince into his arms, as if he had expected such a command, without the slightest hesitation.

Just like during a raid.

‘Yes. This is a game, and this is a proper teammate.’

With a brief thrill, I jumped in place several times to survey the battlefield. Then, based on my limited experience with “The Gods Still Exist,” I mapped out the optimal route.

For now, north-northwest.

“We shall depart now.”

“O-okay!”

**

‘The first man I ever hold is a kid.’

When the trial started and I figured out what it was, I immediately knew who needed to carry the child in front of us. If I were the captain, and if I were in charge…

“Sir Seyeon, I entrust His Highness to you.”

“Yes, Captain.”

As expected.

I had already strapped my shield to my back in anticipation.

Thanks to the captain who suppressed the crying and screaming child with his dignified charisma, I could transport him quietly. What a relief.

‘If it were Saeaeks instead of me, would the captain be carrying the kid?’

I miss Saeaeks. I miss the other raid members too. It would be so reassuring if they were here…

“Aaaaargh!!!”

Clang! Clang-! Clang–

Slash-

“Grrrr…”

“Sir Seyeon!”

“Yes!”

Ah. Right. I need to focus. This is a game but not a game.

Blood splattering, arms being severed, eyeballs bursting, heads flying off—I expected all that.

Because I expected it…

‘Urgh!’

It wouldn’t make sense for a royal guard to vomit in front of the prince.

Hold it in. I have to hold it in. I must!

Compared to the captain who’s swinging his sword directly, the psychological resistance I’m experiencing is nothing.

I can’t hold him back. So…

“Ack, S-Sir Seyeon. Please, g-gentler.”

Stop squirming and stay still, kid.

I don’t want to throw up on you. Please.

**

‘One point to Strength.’

[zandarkisasaint]

[Level 3][Title: First Tower Entrant (Growth Bonus 10%)]

[Class: Battle Commander]

[Strength: 14][Agility: 10][Endurance: 10][Mana: 10][Will: 10]

[Remaining stat points: 4]

Side quests gave almost no experience. Even considering this was Edengard, I didn’t gain a single level. The Tower seemed stingier with level-ups than the game, even with the 10% growth bonus title.

“Aaaah!”

Clang-

‘Thirteen, no, fourteen.’

Fortunately, my body moved well for someone who had just learned basic swordsmanship. I never expected to swing a sword so skillfully or to slice through human bodies so efficiently, even in a virtual setting. If I had to evaluate, it was a positive variable and a pleasant miscalculation.

‘Is the hypothesis that this isn’t my actual body correct? Or is it because this is the Knight’s Trial?’

I don’t know. Maybe there will be a backlash later for this chilling yet strangely familiar sensation. Maybe I’ll tremble, fifteen-, vomit, or spend all day curled up under the blankets, sixteen.

‘Seventeen, eighteen.’

In truth, I was getting goosebumps even now. I was calmly counting the number of enemy soldiers whose heads I had severed.

Whether that was due to something approaching a mental disorder was unclear, but it made it easier to grasp the number of enemies. And I realized:

At this pace, we would be surrounded by enemies and fail the trial.

At first glance, the situation wasn’t much different from what was presented in the Room of Beginning. If you replaced the illusory Cutjukyeora and Saeaeks with the prince that Cutjukyeora was now holding, it was similar. The critical difference was that the prince was a useless burden who couldn’t fight at all, and we were only level 3 and level 2.

The only good thing about the Knight’s Trial was that its difficulty scaled with the player’s level.

‘I didn’t want to use up all my stat points so soon.’

But there was no choice.

‘Four points to Will.’

[Strength: 14][Agility: 10][Endurance: 10][Mana: 10][Will: 14]

[Remaining stat points: 0]

[Command Shout](1)

– Orders given to party members carry slightly more weight.

The basic command skill, Command Shout, equivalent to basic swordsmanship in the command system.

Command-type skills were most heavily influenced by the Will stat, which is why I had initially been reluctant to invest in Will but now put half of my remaining stat points into it.

Just as 10 Strength differs from 14 Strength.

10 Will also differs from 14 Will.

“Sir Seyeon.”

“Yes!”

“From now on, we shall not stop our advance.”

Our course: due north.

“[Charge].”

“I follow your command!”

Toward the relatively thin wall where allies were still holding out, closest to our objective point.

[You have realized the Charge command.]

[Command-Charge effect is applied to party members.]

[Party member’s Strength increases.]

[Party member’s Endurance increases.]

[Party member’s Will increases.]

The two-person unit launched not a delaying action but a full charge.